Devices found inside a truck parked in a Mid-City bank parking lot contained a combustible compound that could have caused an explosion, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

New Orleans police said officers were clearing the scene Monday afternoon after evacuations were ordered when eight suspicious devices were found inside a Ford F-150 truck.

The devices were being taken to a lab for further analysis, ATF officials said.

Initial reports said only one device was in a Ford F-150 truck parked in the lot since Friday, but New Orleans Police Department spokesman Frank Robertson said two were discovered later in the morning.

By early afternoon, police said a total of eight devices, one which included a timer and a fuse, were discovered.

When officers investigated the truck and opened the door, they said smoke came out of the vehicle and they immediately called in bomb squad members.

According to police, the devices looked like "candlesticks," and it appeared that someone was attempting to destroy the vehicle.

Investigators said they know who the truck belongs to, but were unable to contact the owner.

Officers evacuated neighbors from the area Monday morning as they investigated the devices.

Public transportation was also stopped in the area and employees of the bank were evacuated from the building.

Warren Easton Charter High School said it took "precautionary measures" to ensure students did not exit toward the area police were investigating.

A bomb squad robot was used to investigate the devices. Robertson said the devices were moved to a "bomb pod."

A bomb pod, Robertson said, is where devices go to be diffused or detonated.

According to Robertson, it could be hours before investigators know the contents of the package.